Thimble.



E. PALTER.

THIMBLE,

APPLICATION FILED MAR.29, 1912.

1,057,496. Patentd Apr. 1, 1913.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

M11" By 2 a 14 A TTOR/VE K2 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CU" WASHINOTDN- D- C.

ELIAS PALTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

THIMBLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

Application filed March 29, 1912. Serial No. 686,987.

To all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that I, ELIAS PALTER, a citi zen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thimbles, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a thimble that will not drop, slip or be forced off the finger, when in use during the operation of sewing, and that will be comfortable.

The ordinary thimble is conical interiorly and exteriorly, its interior being smooth and tapering from its open base to its top. If the thimble be too small or even if it fits the finger tightly enough to stay on well, it will be uncomfortable, and retard the circulation; if it be too large, it will be likely to drop off, and the person using it will be constantly endeavoring to keep it on. Under every condition, the least pressure on the ordinary thimble in a direction from its base toward the tip of the finger, will cause it to loosen on the finger, and to drop off the same, and there will be the same tendency upon a movement of the hand, when the closed end of the thimble is below its open end. Moreover, the ends of some fingers are tapering, and some are not. With those that are not, the ordinary thimble will fit closely only near its smaller closed end, while the rest of the thimble will be loose on the finger, so that it will take very little to cause the thimble to drop off.

My invention overcomes all the above mentioned difficulties.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one embodiment of my invention, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the thimble, its proper position when in use on a finger being indicated by the finger shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an end view of the thimble looking into its open end from the base. Fig. 3 illustrates the thimble in its proper position on a finger, showing the inside of the finger and the back portion of the thimble. Fig. 4 illustrates the positions the fingers of a hand assume during a portion of the action of sewing, the thimble being shown in its proper position on the middle finger.

Similar characters represent like parts in all the figures.

1 is the open base of the thimble, and 2 is its opposite end.

3-3 are recesses in the inner wall of the thimble near its base, and as shown in the drawing, said recesses consist of transverse openings extending through said wall. The edge of the base beyond the recesses or openings 3-3 extends inward toward the opposite portion of the edge, and said extending portion is a tongue 4 having oppositely projecting arms 5, the inner edges of which, or those nearest the base, extend ing in a continuous direction transverse to the thimble, and constituting portions of the edges of the openings 3.

The thimble when in the proper position on the finger should have the tongue portion 4 extending across and bearing upon the inside of the finger, and the inwardly projecting edge of said tongue above the apex of the swell of the joint, or near the crease of the joint, as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4:.

The slight pressure on the thimble near its base 1 tends to force a little of the flesh of the finger into the recess 3, as shown at 6-6, Figs. 3 and 4. 1V hen the finger is bent in the operation of sewing, there will be a slight additional forcing of the flesh into said recess, and the overlapping of the edges 7 of the projections 5 will bear upon the flesh 6 that had been forced into the recesses, and prevent the thimble from dropping off the finger.

In the operation of sewing, the first and third fingers 8 and 9 of the hand are very apt to rub against the thimble on the middle finger 10, (see Fig. 4), and when this rubbing is in a direction toward the end 2. of the thimble, it would be likely to force the thimble off the finger 10. This is especially so if the thimble is too large for the finger, or if the finger is not conical. The edges 7 however, of my improved thimble, and the inwardly extended portion 4 of the edge of the base 1 will prevent the thimble from falling off. By the use of my invention the thimble need not fit the end of the finger tightly, it being only necessary to have a slight pressure near the base of the thimble upon the finger. With the ordinary thimble, however, in order to get satisfactory results in sewing, the thimble should fit the finger quite tightly, and this tends to retard the circulation, which result my improved thimble avoids.

It will be obvious that my invention is not limited to the precise thiInble shown in the drawings and described in the specification.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A thinible having a recess in its inner wall near its open base, the edge of said recess nearest said base extending in a continuous direction transverse to the thirnble, and a part of the edge of said base projecting inward toward the opposite edge of the thiinble.

2. A thirnble having a plurality of recesses in its inner wall near its open base, the edges of said recesses nearest said base extending in a continuous direction trans verse to the thiinble, and a tongue forming part of the edge of said base projecting inward toward the opposite edge of the thilnble and from a point between and below\t wo of said recesses.

8. A thimble having a transverse opening in its wall near its base, the edge of said opening nearest said base extending in a continuous direction transverse to the thirnble, and a part of the edge of said base projecting inward toward the opposite edge of the thinible.

A. A thirnble having a plurality of transverse openings in its wall and near its base, the edges of said openings nearest said base extending in a continuous direction transverse to the thiinble, and a tongue forming part of the edge of said base projecting inward toward the opposite edge of the thinlble and from points between and below two of said transverse openings.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELIAS PALTER.

Witnesses:

AnoLPH H. HARMSE, EDWIN SEGER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

